# Med. Brown to Dark Blonde with store color. Is it possible?



## Holly (Jul 30, 2005)

Hello. I am looking for advice from either a pro or a member who has achieved success with an over the counter brand like L'oreal, Clairol, Revlon, or a beauty supply store brand etc. you have to recommend to take medium brown( on the light end of med brown but darker than light brown) to a dark neutral blonde or dark golden blonde. Technically it is a two shade jump which I notice can be done without going orange according to the companies websites yet when I look at the side of the box as to what medium brown should look like in the end it either appears to have not changed or looks a gross zebra striped orange and brown shade.

Any suggestions. I am tired of paying $90 (including tip) ever six to eight weeks to get highlights that appear to me to be a very high % of my overall hair (i.e. I might as well color it all the same color if 80% of it is actually highlighted and not my natural color.


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## NYAngel98 (Jul 30, 2005)

Sorry to say, but most 'box' dyes won't lift you from a brown to a blonde. If you get a color &amp; a peroxide &amp; mix, yeah - you can... but that is a liitle too hard to perfect, if you're not familiar with professional color. You can try one that is a lighter blonde, it may lift a liitle, but I don't think that you're gonna get what you are expecting...


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## K*O* (Jul 30, 2005)

You're absolutely RIGHT !

Originally Posted by *NYAngel98* Sorry to say, but most 'box' dyes won't lift you from a brown to a blonde. If you get a color &amp; a peroxide &amp; mix, yeah - you can... but that is a liitle too hard to perfect, if you're not familiar with professional color. You can try one that is a lighter blonde, it may lift a liitle, but I don't think that you're gonna get what you are expecting...


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## glamslam (Jul 30, 2005)

Another thing; be careful saying you want golden tones...in the hair color world, gold means warm/reddish undertones. To avoid brassiness choose shade names with "Ash" or "Neutral" in the title. You may not be able to go as light as you want tho, like Janelle mentioned. There are those "high lift" color kits, that say you can go 3 to 4 shades lighter in 1 step. But it's kind of at your own risk. If you rinse off too soon...brassiness. If you leave on too long, fried hair!


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## eightthirty (Jul 30, 2005)

Call the # on the back of a box. Tell them your desired results. Be prepared to tell them your natural color and the color of your hair now, etc.

You can even go to any of these vendors websites and get the toll free #. I called Clairol once when I didn't like my results and they told me exactly what to do to fix it right away. I didn't have to wait weeks. Now anytime I want to go above or below 2 shades different than my current haircolor I call the # (9 times out of 10 it's Loreal b/c I love Loreal)....tell them my desired results, etc....and they give me a plan. Of course, it may take you a few steps to get there....but what's it worth to ya? Time or money?

Hope this helps!

Melissa

P.S. I've NEVER had my hair done in a salon and that is the ONE thing I can say I have been complimented relentlessly on....my hair color.


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## glamslam (Jul 30, 2005)

Originally Posted by *eightthirty* Call the # on the back of a box. Tell them your desired results. Be prepared to tell them your natural color and the color of your hair now, etc.
You can even go to any of these vendors websites and get the toll free #. I called Clairol once when I didn't like my results and they told me exactly what to do to fix it right away. I didn't have to wait weeks. Now anytime I want to go above or below 2 shades different than my current haircolor I call the # (9 times out of 10 it's Loreal b/c I love Loreal)....tell them my desired results, etc....and they give me a plan. Of course, it may take you a few steps to get there....but what's it worth to ya? Time or money?

*Very good advice!*


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## Holly (Jul 30, 2005)

So you like L'oreal. Years ago I called clairol when I was in college and found them to be very guarded in their advice to the point that it seemed they were the legal department for the company (i.e. don't attempt to color your hair if it already is color treated. That kind of eliminates a lot of us. Do you use Feria, Preference, or Excellence?

Originally Posted by *eightthirty* Call the # on the back of a box. Tell them your desired results. Be prepared to tell them your natural color and the color of your hair now, etc.
You can even go to any of these vendors websites and get the toll free #. I called Clairol once when I didn't like my results and they told me exactly what to do to fix it right away. I didn't have to wait weeks. Now anytime I want to go above or below 2 shades different than my current haircolor I call the # (9 times out of 10 it's Loreal b/c I love Loreal)....tell them my desired results, etc....and they give me a plan. Of course, it may take you a few steps to get there....but what's it worth to ya? Time or money?

Hope this helps!

Melissa

P.S. I've NEVER had my hair done in a salon and that is the ONE thing I can say I have been complimented relentlessly on....my hair color.


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## Holly (Jul 30, 2005)

Thank you for the tip on color. I know that I have to usually go nuetral or ash and still get some red. I am okay with red as long as it isn't brassy orange. That seems to be the risk everyone here is telling me is not worth the risk.

Originally Posted by *glamslam* Another thing; be careful saying you want golden tones...in the hair color world, gold means warm/reddish undertones. To avoid brassiness choose shade names with "Ash" or "Neutral" in the title. You may not be able to go as light as you want tho, like Janelle mentioned. There are those "high lift" color kits, that say you can go 3 to 4 shades lighter in 1 step. But it's kind of at your own risk. If you rinse off too soon...brassiness. If you leave on too long, fried hair!


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## jennyb (Jul 30, 2005)

If you are going to color your hair still, I would also be careful of ashy colors. I actually got my hair done with blonde highlight when I was about 16 or 17 and the lady did an ashy color. I looked like I was 83 with the ashy blonde color---it was a greyish, yucky color. Although I got my hair done and I didn't like it, I would still recomend getting it done vs. doing it yourself. Especially if you want to go much lighter. I still get my hair done, and I absolutely love it now. I think if you are happy with your hair (besides the price) you shouldn't give up a good thing and take a risk. Trust me, I have been so impulsive, wishing my hair could be a certain way, only to find out that when I do it, I want it how it was before. Hope that makes sense. Or if you don't want to pay the price you are paying right now, ask a bunch of people whose hair you like, and find out if it's cheaper where they go, and than maybe you could try the all over hair color. Hope I helped, I don't even know if I'm talking on the topic anymore :icon_love, but just wanted to help


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## Holly (Jul 31, 2005)

I think I am validating that I need to keep going to the salon. It isn't just price alone. It seems like whoever I go to is hit or miss. One time I have natural looking highlights and the next time, they are streaky/chunky with roots. I really hate when I pay a lot of money and leave with roots. That happens to me sometimes. I guess I just keep looking for another haird colorist.

Originally Posted by *jennyb* If you are going to color your hair still, I would also be careful of ashy colors. I actually got my hair done with blonde highlight when I was about 16 or 17 and the lady did an ashy color. I looked like I was 83 with the ashy blonde color---it was a greyish, yucky color. Although I got my hair done and I didn't like it, I would still recomend getting it done vs. doing it yourself. Especially if you want to go much lighter. I still get my hair done, and I absolutely love it now. I think if you are happy with your hair (besides the price) you shouldn't give up a good thing and take a risk. Trust me, I have been so impulsive, wishing my hair could be a certain way, only to find out that when I do it, I want it how it was before. Hope that makes sense. Or if you don't want to pay the price you are paying right now, ask a bunch of people whose hair you like, and find out if it's cheaper where they go, and than maybe you could try the all over hair color. Hope I helped, I don't even know if I'm talking on the topic anymore :icon_love, but just wanted to help


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## jennyb (Jul 31, 2005)

if you don't like the streaky look that leads to major roots, tell them that and show them as many pictures as you can, b/c what's one person's idea of a dark blonde is totally different for another.


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## jennyb (Jul 31, 2005)

it is hit or miss, but you will find a good one. Trust me, I went to this lady who asked me, "do you remember what number we did your hair last time????"---ok she scared the heck out of me, she was asking me how to do my hair!!! the whole time I was crossing my fingers and wishing my hair would look remotely normal when she was finished. Now I go to someone I loove and I got asked by a complete stranger, the other day, where I got my hair done at. (my hair is highlighted blonde, not really chunky, but not thin strands of highlights)


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## Holly (Jul 31, 2005)

Good point. I understand there are different interpretations. It is more the fact that I have already shown a photo of what I want and she was able to achieve it the first time perfectly and the second time it came out streaky and far too white. It has now been two stylists in a row that I have had this problem with. It is almost making me wonder if the hair is being processed with extra bleach on top of the color that ends up getting super light the second time around if they same strands are colored. I am not really sure.

Originally Posted by *jennyb* if you don't like the streaky look that leads to major roots, tell them that and show them as many pictures as you can, b/c what's one person's idea of a dark blonde is totally different for another.


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